Real

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."

"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"

"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."

--The Velveteen Rabbit, Margery Williams

Not that I needed the reassurance or reinforcement anymore, but last week I came across letters I received from my first ever 2nd grade class. I still remember standing in that classroom for the first time...22 years old, 31 little faces before me. I had to teach them. It wasn't all fun and games, there was this HUGE responsibility. They trusted me completely--they didn't know I was clueless! They followed my directions, they laughed at my jokes, they came to me when they cried, they looked stunned when I lost my temper, they said hello and goodbye with hugs. They made me real.

*************************************************

Dear Miss McGee,
You are a good teacher.
You are very funny.
You show us math
and love us to mush.
Went we fell you take
us to the offese.
Love,
Yazmin

Dear Miss McGee,
You are a good teacher. You are very nise. Some time you are silly. I like when you read to us. We see you play Basketball. You teach us lots of thing.
from Aaron

Dear Miss McGee,
you are a good teacher. you are very funny and you lete me off of the binch when I am on binch for the hole recsses. and lete me lurne beter in math
(unsigned)

Dear Miss McG,
you are a good techer you Love us! so we Love! you funy techer! I will do wate you tell me to do! We miss you! I am glad I am dowing this!
Your
student (backwards S)
Clinton

Dear Miss McGee,
you are a good teacher you are very tunny and you are nice to me. Some time you play basket ball with us. You love us and we love you to. You teach us good every day. Some time you are silly and you are silly too. Some you are chalk monster because you have chalk all over you.
Love,
Briana

Dear Ms. McGee,
we all love you for teaching his all of us would trie to lisen to you we wunl to be Bead nevr agan.
Love, Kevin
********************************************************

And now I know...the Skin Horse was right...once you're real, you can never go back.